Kodiak Express Owners?

[carebear]

Are there any Kodiak Express Owners here and if so...what sort of experiences have you had with your units? The good, the bad and the ugly. Looking to see if there are comparable consumer experiences with some of the recurring issues with my 2014 model that I have had since day one. Many thanks and cheers!

 

[skarlin1976]

We bought our unit new in 2013. We had purchased from Camping World and they failed to teach me how to take the trailer off of the tow vehicle. Newbie mistake, forgot to put blocks under the tongue jack. On our maiden voyage apparently a faucet was left on and when we connected to city water, we had a small flood. Only real issue the we had was on our maiden voyage, there was no hot water. We had contacted Road Side assistance and were told that it was probably our control board. I thought there might be a bypass valve but could not locate it. After 3 weeks and $160 at Camping World, sure enough there is a bypass valve that had been winterizes under the bottom bunk bed. We just took it to Lake Powell and broke both keys off in the deadbolt and had to have good Sam get a locksmith out to drill the lock. Overall, we are pretty happy with our Kodiak.

 

[Cindy-DUTCH]

We bought a 2013 Kodiak express 2 years ago and I feel like it is a lemon. Leaks everywhere. As soon as we fix one, another one pops up. At the moment there are no less than 4 leaks. Both emergency windows leak. One has already been replaced because it came warped from the factory and it still leaks-but now they won't fix it-unless we pay. We tried caulking both windows-didn't help they still leak. The slide has quit working twice already (it is in the shop as we speak). You can get it to go out- but not in. Those are the minor problems. Here is the major one. The front end (dark brown) has dimpled and bubbled and looks horrible. Apparently is is water damage-though there are no visible signs of a leak. Over the summer, even though we have not had rain in a month, it has gotten worse and worse. We have been told it is probably from condensation between the fiberglass and the wall. How is that my fault? They should not have made the front dark brown- it absorbs heat all day and then cools off at night. I live in Louisiana, minimum temp in the summer is 95. I believe this is a manufacturing defect- they should have known better. I notice all the 2015 models have a white front. We do have a route 66 warranty but of course it does not cover water damage or leaks, will not even pay for a leak to be repaired.
I am sorry for the rant- but you asked. lol But now I own a water damaged camper and the damage is due to a design flaw from the manufacturer. It just makes me so angry.

 

[KIRBY]

Our 2014 Kodiak Xpress issues to date

We purchased our Kodiak Xpress in September of 2013.
As soon as we received our first rain of the fall season, we noticed a serious water leak coming in through the vent on top of the kitchen counter. By the time we found it, it had damaged a 4" x 72" wood moulding panel on the slide out that had warped and had to be replaced. We contacted the manufacturer and sent them photos of the damage and a copy of our repair receipt. They paid for the repairs but would not ship new parts directly to us so we had to contact the dealer to try to get the replacement parts. Going on two years now and we still do not have the parts. Now dealing with a new water leak underneath the kitchen faucet and delamination of the fiberglass on the front of the trailer. It is bubbling and pulling away from the skin. Our front is dark brown in color. Clearly this is a manufacturing flaw that should be covered, regardless of warranty. Our next trailer will NOT be one manufactured by Dutchmen. They do not appear to stand behind their products by giving only a one year warranty. That in itself speaks for itself. They should make adjustments to their warranty by providing amendments for certain items that they are aware of as being chronic problems for many owners; or at least make allowances for these problems that should not be happening.

 

[Cindy-DUTCH]

It is so disheartening. Our camper has been in the "shop" for a couple of weeks. I am sure it is sitting on the lot with the dozens of other campers that are there for repairs. We have not been called yet with an estimate of the repair cost. I will be contacting Dutchmen to see what they will do. Hopefully they will cover the repairs, though we were told by the repair shop that they won't.

 

[mooretcp]

Hello! We just recently purchased our new 2015 Kodiak. We went on our first trip in October about a week after we got it. I noticed when we were packing it to go, there was water stain on wall under window in bedroom and floor. I took a few pictures and cleaned it up. It really looked like maybe a window was left open at some point. We have a few minor issues while camping and took it in for warranty work last week. We were told today that the water was due to roof leaking and there was major damage to front cap area. They are covering under warranty of course but I feel this should have been found when they were checking over everything before we purchased. Not sure if repair should be acceptable or if I should demand refund/replacement of travel trailer. This is our first TT and while I don't want to be unfair, I also don't want this to cause further issues down the line when we have no warranty. Any comments/suggestions appreciated!

 

[lcv800]

Bummer about the damage. Good that they will fix and repair. You've learned the same lesson many of us have learned; you need to do a very complete pre-delivery inspection. There is a very good PDI list somewhere on this site. You would have seen the damage beforehand. You need to go over every inch and component of your unit. Some people spent the night at a hotel close to their dealer, as their inspection and repairs took a few days. Dealers want to take your check and kick you out the door. Fortunately, my omissions were minor and got repaired quickly. Next time I'll know better.
Rusty

 

[Redtail cruiser]

Here is the link to the PDI mentioned;

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct..._2.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGLVu34SGGUP1IkhFVk7hVK24U9hA

 

[hddecker]

Here is the link to the PDI mentioned;

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct..._2.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGLVu34SGGUP1IkhFVk7hVK24U9hA

Should be requried reading for all RV purchasers. If the Manufacturers and Stealerships had your best interests at heart, they would provide you with a copy to read before delivery day.

There are two things that should be read, then reread until it is permenantly burn into to your brain.

First item, third paragraph, first sentence; read the underlined portion, reread and don't forget. Then read sentence two and don't yeild to pressure "to take delivery and use until we can fit you in.

Nothing motives the selling dealer to fix the identified defects/problems faster than a delay in delivery.

Second item, checklist Item 16; Applies to everything inside and out. If it loose on the RV lot, it's only going to get worse. Burn that Item into you brain and use that technique as you are going from item to item.

I learned about item 16 when we were still shopping for kids toys. The toys that I could break in the store were the toys that my kids didn't get.

 

[mooretcp]

Thank you! I printed it.... wish I had earlier! I guess assuming their 5 hour inspection would catch anything. We just didn't know much about TT and didn't know if we would even recognize if something wasn't "right". I did ask them why it wasn't caught at inspection before closing. They really didn't have an answer..I know they realize it's their problem but just want to make sure I handle correctly from this point on.

 

[pistonpete]

Purchased a Kodiak Express Hybrid 216 in May 2013. Picked the trailer up and was told that the front of the trailer was cracked and required warranty replacement. Dropped the trailer off at the dealer in the fall and under warranty they replaced the front of the trailer, two bunk ends because of popped stitches and a few other things. Awesome service right? It was, until last year. I noticed the slide getting sluggish. It seamed to strain going out and come in. Now it needs help going out and in. I spoke with the dealer and was told the warranty has expired(one year). I asked the cost on having someone look at it and was told around 100.00 dollars. I decided to look at it myself. The first thing I noticed was twisted metal roller brackets ripped from the floor, mounting roller brackets pulled from the wall, missing hardware, a carpet knife left below carpet like someone took a break and never came back to finish install/repair. I straightened and re-lagged all the brackets back to the floor and walls, put everything back to "normal" condition and tested the slide. It was all happening again. GRRRR! Upon further investigation I learned that the main gear bar that is attached to the motor for the slide was moving freely when the motor was activated which shouldn't happen. I had someone activate the slide while I looked under the table and found that where the main gear bar that was attached to a re-enforcement angled steel bar was supposed to be attached to structure was actually not attached at all allowing the angled steel to flex and therefore snap at the next attachment point on the angled steel. Further investigation revealed that not only was there not a lag screw in the angled steel, but there never was. Not even a hole for it. The trailer has now been at the dealer(Leisure Days RV in Ayr Ontario) for going on a month and further conversations with them and KeystoneRV I found out yesterday that "they regret to inform me that this is not a manufactures defect and will not warranty repair". So. Long story short, I am going to be stuck with a 1200 1500 dollar repair bill that could have been avoided had the manufacturer installed one lag screw. I am trying to go further with Keystone but don't hold alot of hope after reading some reviews about them. Hope this helps. And if anyone out there has a contact with Keystone that may be able to help me, please let me know.

 

[hddecker]

Welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately you have just run into another example of "First Class" production from Thor Industries.

Once the warranty is over you are pretty much hooped. You can try to go back to Keystone, but don't hold your breath.

 

[pistonpete]

Received a response after sending another email to KestoneRV. A little condescending don't you think?

"Thank you for contacting Dutchmen RV. I am e-mailing in response to your e-mail inquiry regarding your 2013 Kodiak TT. Dutchmen tries to manufacture a defect free product and manufactures each unit to RVIA specifications. Additionally, Keystone warranties each unit for one (1) year, from the original purchase date, against material defects and quality of workmanship. Our records show that your purchase date was 5/16/2013.

I am in receipt of and have reviewed your photo at this time. As well, we have received 8 photos from the dealership, our service department along with myself have reviewed these photos at this time. I do apologize that you are having this issue with your unit. Unfortunately, after further review, no manufacturing defect has been presented to us. The photos provided along with the facts presented by the dealership, are not indicating that this is due to a manufacturers defect in the product or an installation issue. Keystone respectfully declines warranty participation. We do appreciate the opportunity to further review your request. Thank you."

Missing hardware that was never installed I guess doesn't constitute a manufacturers defect.

 

[pistonpete]

Also, I received a quote by the dealer to fix this issue to a total of 3,300 dollars.

 

[wahoonc]

Welcome to Dutchmen quality ownership....

Aaron

 

[wahoonc]

If you read the warranty very carefully you will observe that A) they make all the decisions, the owner is over a barrel and C) the process is so onerous that it makes it such a PITA that you will go away, or the warranty will expire before you can get an issue resolved. I had a lawyer friend of mine point out that most warranties are written to protect the manufacturer NOT the consumer. I purchase accordingly. I research items to see if there have been issues, I also look to see how they were treated by the manufacturer IF there was an issue. On a scale of 1-10 Keystone/Dutchmen/Thor gets a 3. LL Bean, Oxo and Broan get a 9.5. Ford gets a 8. Chevy gets a 6. WFCO gets a 3. And so life goes on.

Aaron